My COVID-19 Pentecost Quarantine Mass Experience

After the Penitential Rite and the proclamation of the word, came the invocation of the Holy Spirit in a song by the singing minister. As I kneel listening keenly and reflecting on the lyrics of the song, I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit right in me. Then I prayed asking the Holy Spirit to also touch my family, friends and Christians all over the world who are having the same quarantine experience as I do and bring a powerful solution to the crisis brought upon human beings by the Corona Virus.

The Bishop proceeds with a very lively sermon filled with the spirit of Pentecost. He invites everyone to be open and receive the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit as of the first Pentecost for the renewal of the whole world. I was filled with awe as I sat listening to his heart searching sermon.

The beautiful ending of the Bishop’s sermon, “COME HOLY SPIRIT! COME HOLY SPIRIT! COME HOLY SPIRIT!”, was another spirit filled and touching moment that was like the Bishop just pulled the Holy Spirit out from heaven to earth and I felt His powerful presence in the room.

Kneeling before the altar; as I see through the TV, at Consecration, I surrendered myself, my family and the whole world to the Holy Spirit. As I followed the Eucharistic Prayer, I was touched that much was being said about the Holy Spirit that I understood more than before.

Then Came the moment of Spiritual Communion when I recited the prayer with passion, opening the door to let Him enter, “Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come into him and will dine with him, and he with me”. Rev 3:20

During Announcements I decided to celebrate Pentecost with my Bishop in this way. His announcements were full of good news on how gradually the Churches are going to open their doors again for Christian worship as a community. Remember, one definition of the Church is “A Community of Christians” and not individual Christians in their homes.

Even Though Christians were not in Church physically, they were Spiritually as you can see our Bishop blessing us as he exits the physically empty Church. There’s a song that says, “One thing I ask of the Lord, one thing I long, to live in the house of God everyday of my life”. Yes, this longing eats up every true Christians at this moment of the Coronavirus pandemic when the Church’s doors are physically closed.

Come to think of it, why have we to go through all this quarantine thing? The blame is all on the devilish COVID-19 pandemic. But, remember, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God”, not even the ugly Corona-virus for “… in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us”(Rom. 8:35-37). Let’s keep trusting God.